Police in Derbyshire have been called to fewer crashes on a stretch of the M1 since it became a smart motorway with the hard shoulder becoming a fourth lane, it has been revealed.

Figures obtained by a Freedom of Information Act show Derbyshire Constabulary's officers were called to 124 collisions between junction 28 at Alfreton and junction 31 at Aston near Sheffield in the year before the smart motorway was introduced.

In the year after it was installed, police attended 52 crashes on the same stretch.

The latest figures show that between the end of last March and the start of January, officers have been called to 20 collisions on the stretch.

Road works on the smart motorway are well underway

Highways England - which did not want to comment on the drop in the number of collisions - launched the £205 million smart motorway in 2016.

Smart motorways involve using the hard shoulder for traffic unless a red X sign indicates it is closed, usually because of an accident or a broken-down vehicle.

The lanes are controlled by the use of overhead signs co-ordinated by highways staff in a control room.